Nick Faldo gave the most stirring of flashbacks to the years when he stashed away six major championships as the fans around Royal St George's attempted to carry him to a seventh on a carpet of noise.

Ultimately, a touch of mental weariness caught up with him with three successive bogeys over the final holes. But, as he walked up the 18th fairway to record a one-under-par 70 to end the tournament three over par, he raised the arm of popular caddie Fanny Sunesson in a boxer's victory salute, the scoreboard flashed "Faldo for King" - and the resulting roar could have launched a space rocket.

Faldo immediately announced he was going to give his career "everything", including a schedule to give him the best chance of qualifying for next year's Ryder Cup in Detroit.